Brewing apparatus



July 18, 1944. B. STEIN I 2,354,093

. BREWING APPARATUS Original Filed DEC. 11, 1940 INVENTOR fifi'PTf/OLO 575 BY km ATTORNEY Patented July 18, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE afimififi'fiy.

Original application December 11, 1940, Serial No. 389,574. Divided and thh application June 22,

1942. Serial No. 7,965

\ 6 Claims. (Cl. 99-278) The present invention relates to brewing apparatus, more especially adapted for the achievement of certain improvements in the art of brewing beer, ale, near beer, or the like, with the principal object of making a more palatable and stable malt liquor, because a decided need exists for such improvement, inasmuch as a great many people do not. like to drink the present malt liquor of such general class particularly because of the unpalatable taste or odor.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to more fully understand the objects of the present invention, especially as used .in the art of brewing such beverages as before stated, the new processes which may be carried out by the use of the invention will be set forth herein. The process itself forms the subject matter of my application filed December 11, 1940, Serial No. 369,574, of which the present application is a division.

Beer as well as ale is generally described as a fermented maltliquor with an average percentage of alcohol of from three to four per cent. by weight, or sometimes less, as in near beer, which may have about one-half per cent. It has a mildly bitter and aromatic flavor and odor. The brewers have always attempted to give the beer an aromatic hop flavor and odor. Up to date. they have not succeeded in doing so. The bitter and so-called aromatic flavor is to be derived from the hops which are used in the brewing process. While all kinds of beer and ales taste more or less bitter, there are no beers brewed which really have an aromatic hop flavor and odor. This is due to the processes and apparatuses which are employed in the brewing of beer and ale. All beers and ales have a more or less pronounced bitter taste. and they often have a disagreeable taste and odor as well. The latter is derived principally from the cellulose matter of the husks of the grain, and the fatty oils contained in the grain, such as barley, corn or rice. These bitter tastes and disagreeable odors are'the principal reasons why so many people do not drink beer. It is generally understood that beer and ale is made from malt and hops. In this country, however, beer, and ale is brewed mostly from a mixture of barley malt (about 70% and cereals unmalted (about 30%) namely, corn, rice, corn syrups or sugars, and hops. The hops in the brewing of beer and ales are used as a spice or condiment with a view to overcoming the above mentioned bad taste and odor.

The brewing process starts in the mash tun,

but I will not describe the process oi. mashing in the mash tun, as my invention has nothing. to do with that part of the brewing process. My invention deals only with the processes which take place in the brew-kettle, or rather to a kettle especially adapted for use in those processes. After the mashing process in the mash tun has been completed, the liquid, which from now on is called the wort." is run into the brewkettle, generally called the "copper." The purposes of, the

follows:

First, to bring the wort to a boil in order to treatment in the brew-kettle are as I sterilize the wort; second, to coagulate the albuthe liquid, which generally contains about 90% of water to escape. These steam vapors carry with them volatile substances of the liquid. The amount of hops used varies from one to three pounds and more per barrel. In my process, I need only from one-tenth to one-fifth the amount of hops, as compared to the above-mentioned amount.

Most of the brewers add one-quarter of the whole amount of hops to be used in a brew when the bottom of the kettle is covered with wort. The balance of the whole amount is added when the kettle is half filled with wort. Some brewers, however, add the whole amount of hops to be used for one brew when thev kettle is half filled with wort. Some add the hops in two or threeportions at diflerent times, for instance, brewers add 30% of the hops to be used for the 2' brew when the bottom of the kettle is covered with wort, 30% of the hops when the kettle is half filled, and the balance of 40% of hops is added about fifteen minutes before the boiling process is finished. This latter step is very wasteful because the hops cannot be extracted sufilciently in such a short time. The purpose of this latter step is to reduce the loss of volatile substances from the hops. The whole boiling process in the kettle takes from two and one half tothree hours.

In order better to understand my invention, to be explainedlater herein, 1 will give a description of the active and desirable principles of hops.

Only the female of the hop plant is cultivated for brewing purposes, and it furnishes the strobilcs which are used in brewing. They consist of numerous thin, translucent, veined, leaf-like scales. The most active principle of hops is contained in a substance formed on the scales, existing in the state of very small granules. This substance is called lupulin. This lupulin" represents about to of the weight of the hops. It seems to be of a glandular nature, originating in the epidermal cells of the leaf-like scales of the strobiles. When fully developed, they secrete a resinous matter. In technical brewing literature, these resinous substances are not defined in their chemical structure, but are given only as hard and soft resins. The odor and aroma of hops resides in an essential oil which is embedded in the resinous matter. The leaf-like scales, which are of a pale, greenish yellow color consisting of cellulose carry only -very small quantities of the aromatic odor and flavor of hops. This essential oil consists of terpenes, one (Grams), and the other (C10H1a) boiling at 125 C.-130 C. The latter makes up almost two-thirds of the oil. The amount of hop oil contained in hops varies from 0.13 to 0.27%. The hop oil is very volatile. If hop oil in a mixture of water, or as in the brewing process in a mixture of malto-dextrine in water as in beer wort, is boiled for 30 minutes, 80% of the hop oil is volatilized with the steam.

When-boiled for another fifteen minutes, all the hop oil has escaped from the wort. A very small part of the oil may be occasionally oxidized by longer boiling to a resinous matter of bitter taste, which has lost the characteristic of the pleasant and agreeable odor and flavor of hops. Other substances contained in hops are two kinds of tannic acid, and a bitter acid CazHsoO'z, and these substances are derived principally from the resinous matter of the hops. The extraction of these resins, as well as the extraction'of the essential oil, from the hops is a comparatively slow process. This is complicated by (1), the colloidal character of the resins and (2), the limited solubility in water or a watery'malto-dextrine solution of wort.

After the resinous matter has been extracted by boiling in the wort, and all valuable substances have been embedded in the wort, the former are no longer of any importance. They are removed during the boiling with the coagulum of the albumenous matter and removed with the yeast during and after fermentation. The chemical constitution of the resinous matter is unknown. This resinous matter is also found on the sides of the fermenting vessels, it having been thrown out during fermentation. No hop resins were ever found in finished beers or ales. It would be impractical to boil beer wort under pressure in order to accelerate a more rapid extraction of resins and essential oils because of their tendency to decompose under pressure. The changes ,-which the hop resins undergo, if any, during the boiling of the hops in wort is completely unknown and rather basic. A great amount of resinous matter is removed during the boiling by adsorption with the coagulum of albumenoids in the wort. Some are removed when the wort is being cooled before they run into the fermenting vessel. Another large percentage is lost during fermentation.

Beer wort, when it goes from the mash tun into the brew-kettle, has (1), an unpleasant taste and odor, derived from, and varied by, the maass-1,093

come largely from the husks of the malt or other cereals used in the mashing process; and (3), the fatty oils obtained from barley, rice and com get into the beer wort, causing the development of an unpleasant taste and odor in the beer and ale to be brewed. The husk of barley represents about 8% of 'the malt, and contains substances which have a rank and disagreeable flavor and odor. During the mashing process, a great many of these substances are brought into the solution by enzymatic action. All these substances are run into the brew-kettle. In order to completely exhaust the contents of the malt and cereals used in the mash tun they are frequently sparged with warm water in order to get as many substances in the wort into solution or dispersion as possible. Wort contains the following substances: Maltodextrines, sugars, albumenoids, fatty oils, tannic acid, lactic acid, nitrogenous matter such as amides, and other organic substances. I Thus they are in the usual finished beer in various quantities.

' The purpose of my process is to remove undesirable substances which give beer and ale that rank and disagreeable flavor and odor. This task can be accomplished if in the kettle the wort is treated in two special stages according to my process but more especially by the use of my apparatus.

The flrst stage in my process is that the wort is boiled without any hops at a temperature of 100 C. for about half an hour in an open brewkettle. A sample is taken out and tested for odor and flavor. Generally, one half hour of boiling is sufllcient to remove the undesirable substances from the wortwhich are causing the rank and disagreeable odor and flavor. Should they not have been removed after one half hour of boilterials used; (2) this unpleasant odor and flavor 7:;

ing, the boiling has to be continued until they all have been removed by evaporation. The result is a pure, clean tasting wort having a clean pure flavor of sugars and malto-dextrines.

In order to actually prove that all fatty oils are removed from the wort there is taken out of it, preferably while boiling, a sample as above stated, say about a pint, which is put into a beaker glass, Such sample of wort is then cooled to a temperature of about 15 C. whereupon a few small crystals of camphor are thrown onto the surface thereof. If all of the fatty oils have been removed from the wort the said crystals will perform a vivid rotary movement, but if there remain traces of said oils in the wort such movement will not take place.

The prevailing processes of brewing boil the wort together with the hops without removing any of those substances which are contained in every beer wort, which give the wort a rank and disagreeable odor and flavor, before the hops are added. In such processes there are to be observed two phases: (1), by boiling the wort and hops together in an open kettle all the volatile aromatic active principles of the hops are driven out with steam developed during boiling; and (2), a large part of the fatty oils derived from the brewing materials during the mashing process, and which are dispersed in the wort when boiled together with the hops, adhere to the bulk of the hops, are distributed all over in the liquid and are always in contact with the fatty oils and other substances dispersed in the wort.

Fatty oils, not being as volatile as essential oils, are adsorbed by the leaf-like scales of the hops. After the boiling of the wort is finished.

During the boiling process the hops it is separated from the hops by the process of filtration in the hop Jack -or hop strainer. These hop strainers generally consist; of a cylindrical or rectangular iron or copper vessel, fitted with a false bottom. The construction of the hop strainer is such that the bulk of the hops becomesa filter bed. In an average brew-house outfit the hop strainer is so constructed that the bed of hops formed is not less than 18-20 inches thick. These hops have adsorbed a great part of those fatty oils and derivatives from the husk of the malt and grains, as before described. The hot wort running over the hops washes out the fatty oils and other substances, which it had adsorbed during the process of boiling, and carries these substances into the fermenting vessel. They are dispersed in the wort, and from now on they remain during the subsequent processes of brewing, such as fermentation and finishing. These substances give the beer a rank and disagreeable flavor and odor. One of the reasons for the formation of these badly-tasting and badly-smelling substances is that the fatty oils gradually split of! fatty acids, causing bad flavors, known as rancidity. Furthermore, these fatty acids form during fermentation, in statu nascendi, with the radicals of the produced ethyl alcohol, esters of bad taste and odor. This formation is further increased during storage of the ale and beer and gets worse the older the beer or ale becomes.

Having in mind the fact that brewers have not as yet been able to make the proper use of the highly fragrant and aromatic spice of hops because the process is along the lines of what I have just described, I have the following objects and advantages in view: first, to remove the substances causing bad odors and flavors in beer, ale or the like, or to inhibit or prevent their development; second, to retain in the wort and in the beer or the like the essential oil of hops, which oil is the only characteristic carrier of hop flavor and aroma; third, to emulsify the essential oil in the wort so that it stays in the finished beer, ale

or the like, giving the latter the desired fine hop aroma and flavor; fourth, toestablish a saving in the amount of hops required for use, which under my invention may be from 50-90%; fifth, to reduce the amount of tannic acid and tannin compounds, as, through the small amount of hops used in my process, the contents of such acid and compounds in beer or the like are reduced to a minimum, and to overcome their tendency to cause turbidity and haze in beer, ale or the like.

Accomplishment of this object is desired because tannic acid and tannin compounds, such as tennin peptones, have a bitter and astringent taste and impart to beer, ale or the like a harshly and sharply bitter taste.

In order that my invention may be more fully I understood, I will refer to the accompanying figure of drawings which illustrates a brew-kettle provided with such apparatus parts as are desirable to enable the new process to be carried out.

In the drawing, the brew-kettle I has the customary dome and extends partly above and partly below the floor level 2, a is customary in a brewery. On the dome of the kettle I there is mounted a reflux condenser, which comprises an outer cas ing 3 and a condensing-coil 4 or the like in the casing 3, so that a water-jacket space W is provided between the condensing-coil 4 and the casing 3. It is obvious that the condensing coil 4 may be in the form of a tube extending through the casing and enlarged at intervals by bulb-like formations.

The water-jacket W permits the flow of cold water therethrough, which is admitted at an inlet-pipe 8 and which flows out at outlet-pipe. I. The inlet pipe may be connected with a suitable water pressure supply valve or cook V, as by a flexible hose or water pipe H, which latter may be preliminarily disconnected as a means to drain the condenser jacket for the first brew-kettle stage and subsequently connected so that the valve V may be opened to cool and render operative the condenser for the second stage. The refiux condenser is rigidly mounted upon the brewkettle I or rigidly mounted in some such way as to have a fixed position relatively to the brewkettle, and which latter has an air-tight connection with the lower downward portion 1 of the condensing-coil or unit, The kettle can either be heated by direct fire or superheated steam through a steam jacket of the kettle, or by a heating coil inside of the kettle, all of which is known in brewery practice.

For the purpose of admitting oxidizing air into the kettle, a supply-pipe 8 leads through the side wall of the kettle, preferably adjacent the floor level, and its irmer discharge end 9 preferably leads to near the central lower portion of the interior of the kettle. Such supply-pipe 8 is provided with a control-valve ID. at the lowest point of the condensing-tube or coil 4 and near the bottom of the water-jacket W, a tube I I is connected which passes through the bottom-of the wateriacket. This tube I I preferably has a long section I2 of transparent glass, which is supported on the brewekettle or in some other desirable manner, and the lower end of which extends to a. point above the floor 2, which can be easily reached by the brewer, at which point the tube I I-I 2 i provided with a suitable faucet or tap 13. The purpose of the tube I I--I 2 will be stated subsequently herein.

In carrying out my process, the reflux condenser is not used as such in the beginning of the brewing operation, that is to say, no cooling water is caused'to fiow through the water-jacket W of the condenser. The wort having been admitted into the brew-kettle from the mash tun, and the boiling point of approximately 100 C. reached. the inner tube 4 of the condenser serves as an exhaust pipe for the steam and vapors formed by the boiling wort. During this first step of the process, only the unhopped wort is in the brewkettle, and no hops have been introduced thereinto. The boiling of the wort is continued until all the undesirable substances have been removed therefrom by the boilin of the wort. ,Some of these undesirable substances which are not directly volatile are removed by and with the steam escaping from the pipe or tube 4. Such pipe or tube 4 then corresponds to the steam outlet pipe which usually extends up from the ordinary brewkettle, so that the steam is carried oil in the outer atmosphere.

During the boiling of the wort without the addition of hops a certain amount of albumenoids have been coagulated during the boiling. When this boiling of the wort has been continued for the required length of time, cold water is admitted into the water-jacket W of the condenser, which as such closes the kettle against the escape of volatile substances, and from this point on the reflux condenser will act as such.

After all of the undesirable substances, such as minutes of treating the wort in this way until all undesirable albumenoids, which heretofore had not been coagulated by boiling, are now coagulated and a very flocculent break is obtained by this process of oxidation.

In the old process a so-called break in the kettle during boiling of wort with the hops had been always considered as a very important step at the boiling stage of the wort in brewing. Great importance had been given to the influence of the tannic acids extracted from the hops to the coagulation of albumenoids during boiling. Some of the albumenous matter, especially proteins, unite with tannic acid to produce the so-called peptonetannins. They are only partly removed during fermentation and cooling and do not leave the beer, and produce a definite instability, causing haze and turbidity in the finished beer. Only a certain-amount of albumenous matter in the wort can be coagulated by boiling. Processes of aeration have been applied before in the boiling of wort, but without the intended results. The reason why negative results were obtained by treating boiling wort with air or ozone mixed air was that these operations were performed in an open kettle. The desired reaction of the oxygen from the injected air and ozone mixture on the albumenous matterin wort does not take place with sufllcient strength in an open brew-kettle, as this air mixture is driven out from the boiling wort as rapidly as it is injected and escapes unused together with the escaping steam.

If, however, the action of air and ozone takes place in a kettle which is closed by a reflux condenser as in my process, nothing escapes and a complete reaction with the oxygen takes place in a short time. All vapors are condensed in the condenser and returned to the kettle. A striking and visible change takes place by this process. Through my oxidation process, which takes place before the hops are added, all undesirable albumenoids which have not been coagulated by boiling are coagulated and are easily removed when run through the hop strainer. Those undesirable coagulated albumenoids not removed in the hop strainer will be removed during fermentation or by filtration of the finished beer or ale.

However, during the injection of the stream of air or ozone into the wort which is boiling in the brew kettle, that is closed by the reflux condenser, certain amounts of the albumenous matter are converted into such albumenous bodies as will not be coagulated by boiling, or react against tannates, and they stay also in solution in finished beer if the latter is exposed for several days to a chilling temperature near the freezing point,

t This explains what takes place in order to obtain stabilization of the finished beer as stressed later on in the present description.

I will not commit myself to the chemical reac tions which take place with the different albumenoids during the injection of the ozone-air mixture, as the constitution of the molecules of albumenoids is not yet definitely known. The great number of albumenoids in wort are of different natures, generally known as albumen, albumose,

albumin, globulin, proteins. peptones, protoses,

polypeptides, free amino acids and some others. Very few of these nitrogenous substances have been separated from wort in a form in which they can be definitely identified. A small sample taken out in a glass from the kettle will show plainly the formation of a heavy coagulum. The same willeasily settle and is easily removed when the wort is run from the kettle into the hop back or strainpoint for a few minutes.

er. The advantage of this procedure is strikinl Beer and ales brewed according to this new process derive a greater resistance against chilling. which is particularly noticeable in bottled beer. Beer or ale brewed according to my process in a kettle will stay clear if exposed for several days to a temperature close to freezing (about 1 plus 0.). At present there are proteolytic enzymes like pepsin or papain used to prevent cloudiness in bottled beer when exposed to low temperatures. These proteolytic anzymes are added to the beer or ale after fermentation, and great sums are spent each year to make beer chill-proof by so doing. This shows that in practice conventional beer and the like containing substances derived from hops are not chill-proof unless specially treated after the finishing thereof. This process will become superfluous if my process is applied in treating the wort in the kettle.

Besides the former practice above mentioned, beer is stored below freezing temperature for several days, after its completion and fermentation in order to coagulate certain albumenoids by freezing, and thereafter they are removed by filtration, but even this procedure does not always accomplish the desired object.

When in my process all of the undesirable substances have been removed from the wort by the boiling thereof, and after other undesirable substances of albumenoids or nitrogenous character have been coagulated by oxidation through the air-ozone mixture injected into the wort, the temperature of the wort is lowered below the boiling This is easily accomplished by shutting oif the steam valve for a few minutes or by opening the door of the stove if the wort is boiled over a direct fire.

The purpose of lowering the temperature of the wort is to prevent the hops from being blown out of the kettle when they are added, for the latter would occur inasmuch as the steam pressure in the kettle is higher, since the reflux condenser has been caused to function. The door il at the top of the brew-kettle is now opened and all of the hops to be used for the brew are placed in the kettle in one charge, and as before stated, the charge of hops is in a comparatively small amount in contrast with the large amount of hops which are used in the present brewing practice. After the kettle has been closed, the boiling of the wort is continued for from about 45 minutes to one hour. During this process all the bitter aromatic substances, tannins and. essential hop oils are extracted from the hops. If the boiling of the p es p a e in an open brew-kettle which allows the free escape of vapors, all aromatic volatile substances, and especially the volatile essential oil of the hops, would be driven out. By boiling in a kettle closed by a reflux condenser, the essential oil, when evaporating from the boiling wort, goes into the condenser, where it is condensed and drips back into the boiling wort.

However, at the beginning of the process of boiling the wort after the hops have been added. the separating tube ll, I2 does its work, Thi 1 to separate the first part of the steam and vapors which emanate from the brew-kettle. The size of this tube i I, "I2 is of suflicient capacity to hold the usual amount of the so separated, condensed, emanated liquid which it is expected will develop at the beginning of this phase of the process; that is to say, that liquid which contains those unde sirable substances which have evaporated from the kettle in the beginning of the boiling on account of their having a boiling point lower the boiling points of the essential oils in the hops.

As before stated, the tube I I, I2 is provided with a faucet it, which is under the control of the brewer so that he may take out a sample of the liquid which first comes oil with the steam and vapors when the reflux condenser is operating. Preferably, the section I! of said tube is transparent so that the brewer may observe the condition of the emanated liquid referred to-and note whether it is cloudy or hazy. In the beginning of the operation, this emanated liquid which collects in the tube I I, I! will have a bad odor and flavor, which is derived from. the cellulose parts of the leaves of the hops. -As long as this liquid has this bad odor and flavor the faucet I3 is opened to remove it, but as soon as it begins to show a clean taste and odor it is no longer removed.

The essential oil of hops-is hardly soluble in water, as only minute quantities would stay in solution and are not sufllcient to impart to the liquid a pronounced hop flavor or aroma.

As before stated, the action of the reflux condenser is such as to condense the essential oil which is evaporating from the boiling wort and hops, while at the same time the oil "drips back into the kettle. The .oil going back into the wort is gradually emulsified by the dextrines present in the wort, which are of a gum-like character. This emulsiflcation could not be accomplished if the boiling of the wort with hops were performed in an open brew-kettle, where the oil is evaporated, as is done in present brewing processes. If emulsified according to the present invention, the emulsion is complete and stable, and a greater amount of the oil is brought into the wort. The emulsified essential oil will stay emulsified during the entire process of brewing which follows thereafter.

I have found that the dispersion of the hop oil in the emulsion is so flne that if the liquid containing it is filtered it will pass unchanged through a paper filter, while even the smallest micro-organism in the same liquid will be retained by the filter.

It is my observation that very few beer and ale drinkers are cognizant of the true hop taste and odor, but in the hop storeroom of a brewery the pleasant aroma of hops is very noticeable. Unfortunately, however, the brewers following the present processes have not as yet been able to make the proper use of the highly fragrant and aromatic spice of hops, and this is due to the unscientific brew processes and working methods which are followed.

than I It will be obvious to those skilled in the art of brewing that the present invention is not restricted in scope except in accordance with the appended claims.

What I claim as new herein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A brewing apparatus including a brew kettle for boiling wort and hops, a reflux condenser supported over the kettle and having a Jacket and surrounded thereby a condensing tube, the latter having anair-tight connection at the top of the kettle with its interior, the upper end of the condenser establishing a communication of the interior of the kettle with the outside air at atmospheric pressure, the kettle being otherwise closed, and such condenser serving to condense the steam and vapors carrying the volatile aromatic and essential oils from the brew of wort and hops at atmospheric pressure, and to return such oils into the kettle by gravity, and separating means having a passage connected with the condensing tube of the condenser and extending through and outside of the jacket of the condenser, such means terminating in an accessible valve-controlled outlet and-serving to withdraw from the condenser tube the undesirable substances in liquid form emanating from the hops at a low boiling point until such time as the kettle reaches a boiling point high enough to evaporate such oils from the brew.

2. A brewing apparatus comprising, a brewkettle for the boiling of wort and hops; and in combination therewith a reflux condenser or tube positioned above the kettle with its lower end connected airtight into communication with the upper portion of the kettle, and the upper end of the condenser being open for communication with outside air whereby the interiors of condenser and kettle are maintained substantially at atmospheric pressure, the kettle being otherwise substantially closed; the condenser having cooling means adapting it for the progressive condensing of steam and desirable vapors ascending from the brew of wort and hops in the kettle and for the return of such condensate by downflow from condenser to kettle, whereby condensate acts to seal the kettle against free escape and loss of'vapors through the condenser; and a separator comprising a passage or bypass with a controlling valve therein, said separator passage leading from the lower part of the condenser outwardly and downwardly to a liquid discharge point exterior of the kettle, and adapted when operative to receive from the condenser and drain away the descending undesirable liquid condensate of vapors of low-boiling-point emanating from the hops; whereby, during the heating up of the brew containing the wort and hops, the separator valve may during a first period be opened to divert away from the kettle the undesirable vaporized and condensed constituents of relatively low boiling point, and thereafter closed during a subsequent period to insure return to the kettle of the desirable brew constituents of higher boiling points.

-3. A brewing apparatus comprising, a brewkettle adapted for the'boiling of wort and hops; and in combination therewith a reflux condenser comprising a coolable tube positioned above the kettle, with its lower end communicating airtightly with the upper portion of the kettle for receiving vapors and returning condensate by gravity to the kettle, and its upper end in communication with outside atmospheric pressure, and a separator comprising a bypass with an exterior discharge valve therein, said bypass leading from the lower part of the condenser to said exterior discharge valve and adapted by opening said valve to receive from the condenser and divert away from the kettle any undesirable liquid condensate of vapors emanating from the brew; whereby, during heating up of the brew, said discharge valve may first be maintained open to separate away undesirable vaporized and condensed constituents of low boiling point, and thereafter closed to insure return to the kettle of desirable constituents of the brew having higher boiling points.

4. The apparatus as in claim 3 and wherein the separator comprises a passage of substantial capacity between the reflux condenser and the discharge valve and one section thereof being transparent for the visual examination of the diverted condensate in connection with examination of samples taken by the valve to determine the continued presence of undesirable constituents.

5. The apparatus as in claim 2 and wherein the reflux condenser has cooling means comprising a surrounding Jacket for the continuous flow of cooling fluid and a flow controlling means by the closing of which the condensing functions may be prevented as during an early stage of brew operations in the kettle.

6. A brewing apparatus comprising a brew kettle adapted for boiling wort and hops, in combination with a reflux condenser having its lower part in airtight communication with the top part of the kettle and the upper part of the condenser in communication with the atmosphere, the condenser having a surrounding jacket and means for establishing for a selected stage of operation a flow of cold fluid through such jacket to maintain cool the condenser, and a valved in- Section pipe adapted for injecting a gaseous agent into the kettle brew; whereby during an earlier stage before cooling of the condenser certain undesirable substances brought into the solution from the bran oi the brewing materials during mashing as well as fats and fatty oils may by entrainment or vaporization be driven out through the condenser to escape, and during a later stage after cooling is established and loss of desirable volatile aromatic constituents is thus prevented coagulation may be effected, through the action of a gaseous oxidizing agent, of existing undesirable albumenoids to permit their ready subsequent removal with solid residues of the brew, while other desirable albumenoids become converted into a soluble form in which they will stay in solution during the whole brewing process and in the finished beer even though the beer be ex- BERTHOLD STEIN. 

